Public speaking

Rachel Alexander is a popular female public speaker on marketing at conferences, workshops, seminars and events through out New Zealand. Drawing on her career as a professional hang glider (representing New Zealand in the World Hang Gliding Championships – three times) and as the CEO of Alexanders Advertising for 12 years, Rachel’s experience is quite extraordinary.

Female Conference speaker Rachel Alexander

Rachel’s philosophy is based on lessons in life she learnt when she was a world class athlete and has since honed in business. The hard work, discipline and determination which are required to become a top athlete run parallel with the characteristics it takes to become successful professionally.

She draws on 20 years of marketing experience, running an advertising agency, handling iconic New Zealand brands including Skope Industries, Tait Electronics, Christchurch Airport, PGG Wrightson, Donaghys, and Meridian rural. Additionally, she has served as Chairman of the Southern Branch of the Marketing Association, Chairman and Director of Top 10 Holiday Parks, and served on the board of the Christchurch Garden Festival Trust. Qualified with BCom and BA, she was top of her class in Stage III Marketing and Advertising at Auckland and Canterbury Universities respectively. One of her early professional achievements came when she was honored as Self Employed Woman of the Year South Island in 2000.

Rachel is a dynamic speaker and colourful personality, able to engage with a variety of audiences. She possesses great energy and passion and believes that with hard work you can achieve anything. Things have not always been easy, but Rachel has an amazing way of dealing with hardships in a positive way. In 2008, Rachel’s five year-old son was in a tobogganing accident and suffered severe brain damage which required three months treatment in Starship and commuting four days a week to Auckland.

After five weeks in a coma, her son woke up not being able to walk or talk, and eyes looking in different directions. Rachel’s son can now run, talk articulately and have a relatively normal life, in spite of being blind in his right eye. Throughout this tragedy Rachel has grown and been inspirational in her positive outlook, undoubtedly a factor in her son’s amazing recovery. She has found strength and determination from her life experiences and struggles.

from a 8 years competitive hang gliding and 15 years running an ad agency. Life presents us with many challenges and opportunities. Hear how Rachel Alexander had the strength of mind to overcome her own fears and a fair bit of sexism in the male dominated sport of hang gliding, and then again in business to achieve levels of success her mother thought impossible!

Hear the pearls of wisdom that Rachel has gleaned about life during her journey. She has confronted everything from overcoming self-doubt and sacrificing everything for sports glory, and dealing with an accident that lead to the near death and serious brain injury of her four year old son. She has survived the vagaries of business ups and downs from year-on-year 100% growth which lead to her being Self Employed Woman of the Year in the Sth Island in 2000, through to recession in 2009 and earthquakes in 2011!

There’s no keeping a good woman down though. A colourful and heartfelt story with some sage personal insights on how to bounce back from adversity. Presented to: National Insurance Association, Avonside Girls High and Network for Women in Business. If you are a high school, please contact me about running this free of charge (plus travel expenses).

"Hi Rachel, I introduced myself to you after your amazing Speech today at Sky City. Just wanted to say thanks, it was truly motivational. I have found the blog on 18 Life Lessons for Success in Business and have certainly taken a few of those on board. I will read through it again tonight! Don't change anything in your speech, it was captivating, inspiring, positive and emotional, all the things you need to go away and think, "Wow, that Lady was awesome, I'm going to take a leaf out of her book!

5 ways to increase your advertising effectiveness

Delivered to over 2000 businesses nationwide through Chambers of Commerce and Telecom Build your business seminars. Includes 5 point layout formula to improve advertising effectiveness.

Growing your professional practice

Specifically for professional service firms. Delivered to Institute Chartered Accountants Otago branch, local Christchurch law Practice Managers

Branding

NZ Ski Areas Association, University of Canterbury Engineering Masters students

Classic Marketing Mistakes

Online Marketing trends

The future of web design

Transform your marketing ROI with testing and measuring techniques

Delivered to accounting firm clients South Island.

"We found Rachel to be a very inspiring and motivational speaker covering aspects of her adventurous and varied sporting life, establishing and growing a very successful Marketing and Promotions business, her family life and sharing the difficulties the recession and Christchurch earthquake presented and how she adapted to minimise the effect of these on her business. Rachel's presentation is of a very high standard both verbally and visually, is very professional, very enjoyable and imparts the value of being adaptable and positive. We can highly recommend Rachel as a very professional and interesting Speaker. Many thanks again Rachel for a great talk. We loved it very much. All the feedback was "amazing". " Yvonne Loader, Bishopdale Ladies Probus Club

If you are interested in having Rachel Alexander as a speaker for any type of workshop, seminar or as a speaker please contact us.